Plea deal reached in fatal crash case

A Pendleton man accused of causing a 2013 traffic accident in Middletown that killed two people has struck a deal with prosecutors.

Isaiah P. Stone, now 28, was charged last March with two counts each of causing death when driving with a controlled substance in system and causing serious bodily injury when driving with a controlled substance in system.

Authorities allege Stone ingested marijuana before he ran a stop sign at Mechanicsburg Road and Henry County Road 825-N on Sept. 10, 2013. Two passengers in his vehicle – Clifton Shane Thompson, 28, of Middletown, and Caroline P. Bateman, 22, Pendleton – were fatally injured.

Court records reflect a plea agreement – the terms of which were not released – has been submitted in the case. Henry Circuit Court 2 Judge Kit Crane has tentatively set sentencing for Jan. 21.

Three lawsuits stemming from the accident are pending.

In August 2014, Stone was convicted of driving with a controlled substance in system in Madison County. That charge stemmed from an arrest five weeks before the fatal crash in Middletown.